Progression

[easysqueezy]

Hello! I'm a newbie, sitting with my concertina on my lap as I write (a modest value but nice tone George Jones, Rosewood-end, steel reed English, kindly supplied to me by Barleycorn). Since buying it just about a month ago, I have rushed home to play every day.

I am addicted and play every spare minute at the moment!

I seem to be doing quite well, as far as I can judge, being able to play three or four well-known Morris tunes with reasonable accuracy and acceptable pace and, as I am primarily a singer, I have also tried some song melodies and dabbled with chords.(Chords with less success!)

I am getting a feel for the layout of the instrument now, my fingers seem to have become stronger and the instrument feels less ungainly in my hands.

So far, so good.

Now that I have successfully got a tune out of it and have got a rudimentary grasp of the bellows movement, volume etc,I need some advice about progression.

What should be trying next to further my technique?

I'd also like to know about everyday, general cleaning of wood, bellows and buttons. How and what to use?

Thanks a lot for any advice you send my way.

[tombilly]

Being a singer you should have a good store of melodies in your head and an ear for hitting the right note! So stick at that for a while - work out tunes that you know in your head - even easy peasy nursery rhymes, advertising jingles and such. These all help the fingers to learn where the notes can be found. Try to avoid looking up sheet music - not everyone will agree with this, but invariably it adds another layer and gets in the way. Re maintenance, I purchased a copy of Dave Elliott's The Concertina Maintenance Manual and it answers all these questions and many more besides

[michael sam wild]

I play a Jones Anglo and I reckon he made some nice instruments.

 

I'd give similar advice. Base your playing on what you know and think tunes and chords together and try a few song accompaniments. you will have a lot to build on.

 

Take tunes slowly, speed comes later, listen to all sorts of players and instruments in the tradition you like and imitate , your own style will evolve.

 

 

Go to a few sessions where the kind of music you like is played (lots of info on this site and The session web site under 'sessions' and sit in , you will get into playing gradually and confidence develops

 

 

Good luck and hours of harmless fun

[chris]

Good luck and hours of harmless fun

 

unless you develop concertina aquisition syndrome

then it becomes expensive

chris

[Theo]

I'd also like to know about everyday, general cleaning of wood, bellows and buttons. How and what to use?

Thanks a lot for any advice you send my way.

 

Don't use anything more than a soft non-fluffy dry cloth.

[easysqueezy]

Go to a few sessions where the kind of music you like is played (lots of info on this site and The session web site under 'sessions' and sit in , you will get into playing gradually and confidence develops

 

 

Good luck and hours of harmless fun

 

Thanks for the advice, everyone!

I am extremely lucky to have access to the inestimable squeezer Keith Kendrick from time to time at Derby Heritage Music Club, but I have pestered him far too much already - and that was BEFORE I bought the 'tina!

I believe in doing research before getting into anything, especially with the money we are talking about for these instruments and he was a great help, as was Chris at Barleycorn and Theo, who I spoke to at Whitby.

I can't see me getting into collecting, but I must admit, now I can actually play a little and seem to be taking to it, popping over to Stoke to trade up is already looking like a scarily attractive prospect. Who knows how much money I might be tempted to invest when I have the concertina of my dreams in my hands!?

When you say 'harmless fun' you are certainly not referring to the potential impact on my bank balance!

[Dirge]

Buy the Dave Elliot maintenance book. It's excellent and cheap and you WILL need to get a bit of fluff out of the thing, or stick a bit that came loose back one day; have a little look through the book first and it won't frighten you.